Apple’s New iPod Shuffle: Small Talk Is Cheap
Apple has been busy this week. The Cupertino-based company rolled out the newest generation of its iPod shuffle, but the device is getting mixed reviews.
With its $79 price tag, the new iPod shuffle is still inexpensive compared to other iPods, but it is even smaller than the last version.
The AA battery-sized iPod shuffle measures 1.8 inches long and less than an inch wide, and weighs only .38 of an ounce, according to Apple’s specs on the device.
Manufacturers moved the controls from the actual device to a play button found just below the right earbud. By pressing the control button, users can play, pause, adjust volume, switch playlists and hear the name of the song and artist.
The iPod shuffle comes in only two colors, and includes a stainless-steel clip and a built-in rechargeable lithium-polymer battery. When fully charged — a process that takes three hours — the iPod shuffle can be used for up to 10 hours.
The new anodized aluminum design may be smaller, but it comes with 4GB capacity and holds 1,000 songs — double the amount of the previous iPod shuffle version.
Talk to Me
Aside from increasing its song capacity, Apple added a completely new feature to the device: a voice feature that turns the iPod shuffle into “the first music player that talks to you,” according to Apple.
Apple added voice-over technology, which allows the iPod to speak to its owners. The feature — a male or female voice, depending on whether the user has a Mac or PC with which to sync songs on iTunes — names the song and its artists as well as the playlist names.
Voices come in more than a dozen different languages, including Chinese, French, Italian, Portuguese and Swedish.
“Imagine your music player talking to you, telling you your song titles, artists and…
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